FORMER CEBU City mayor Tomas R. Osmeña and 44 others are facing criminal and administrative complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman for the “malicious demolition” of the mayor’s office. Mejelito C. Cajes of the city’s Building Maintenance Services filed the complaints Monday with the assistance of City Legal Officer Rey M. Gealon. “We anchored our arguments on the premise that these properties are supposed to be protected considering that these properties are deemed properties of the government pursuant to Article 415 of the Civil Code, these are considered immovable properties already,” Mr. Gealon told reporters. The other respondents are: Ronald Malacora, who was head of the city’s general services office; Anna Ruby King, an engineer at the city’s planning office; Mr. Osmeña’s staff members Cindy Montermoso, Jimpaul Saavedra, and Venlentino Ontong, Jr.; Lance Samuel Co, and Edgardo Ong who are security guards of the city government’s executive building; Paul Taboada; Francisco Fernandez; Benjie Dolino; and Pericles Dakay, owner of Dakay Construction and Development, Corp., along with his 32 workers who stripped the mayor’s office of furnishings as well ceilings and flooring. The Department of Engineering and Public Works estimates the damage to the office at almost P858,000. Mr. Osmeña’s lawyer, Amando Virgil Ligutan, said they have documents to disprove the “malicious imputations” against the former mayor. “On behalf of the respondent to the case, it is good that finally, Labella’s camp filed a complaint in court by the Ombudsman instead of parading the complaint in front of the media and the public. It’s good because respondents will be able to prove that the complaint filed against them is baseless and purely politically-motivated,” Mr. Ligutan told reporters. — The Freeman

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